Section 3 requires agencies to submit a Strategic Plan to OMB by 9/30/97 covering a period of not less than 5 years forward from the current FY, including a mission statement, goals, a description of how goals will be achieved, key factors affecting goals and evaluation methods, and requires the plan be updated at least every 3 years.Section 4 requires agencies to submit an Annual Performance Plan to OMB covering each program in budget, including establishing objective goals, describing operational processes and performance indicators, providing basis for comparison and means to verify values.Section 4 also requires agencies to submit an Annual Program Performance Report covering the previous FY including review of performance goals, evaluation of plans, description/explanation of goals not met, assessment of effectiveness and summary of findings of previous evaluations no later than 3/31/00.Section 5 provides OMB the authority to exclude agencies from administrative procedures or controls in return for specific accountability to achieve performance goals beginning in FY 1999.Section 6 directs OMB to select not less than 10 agencies as pilot projects in performance measurement; also to select not less than 5 agencies as pilot projects in managerial accountability and flexibility measurements for FYs 1994-1996; also to select not less than 5 agencies as pilot projects in performance budgeting measurements.

Section 13101 extends the exclusion for income tax and Social Security purposes of amounts paid, or expenses incurred, by an employer under a qualified educational assistance program. The exclusion applies retro to expenses incurred after 6/30/92 and extends through 12/31/94.

Section 13207 repeals the limitation on the amount of earnings subject to the HI tax beginning in 1994.

Section 13215 increases the percentage of Social Security Benefits that may be subject to income taxes from 50% to 85% for single taxpayers with income over $34,000, and for married taxpayers filing jointly with income over $44,000. Single taxpayers with incomes between $25,000-$34,000 and married taxpayers filing jointly with incomes between $32,000-$44,000 continue to be subject to the 50% rate; effective for taxable years beginning 12/31/93. Section 13508 reduces Medicare Part A premiums for aged or disabled individuals who buy in to this protection and who have at least 30 quarters of coverage; provides that the premium reduction is 25 percent for 1994, increasing by 5 percent per year until it reaches 45 percent for 1998 and later years, and applies to current and future Part A beneficiaries and affects monthly premiums for months beginning with 1/94. Section 13571 extends through 1998 the provision under which the monthly Medicare Part B premium is set at the amount necessary to cover 25 percent of program costs for the aged; thereafter, the annual percentage increase will be governed by the Social Security COLA in the previous year.Section 13581 directs SSA to assist in the identification of data and its collection from third parties as part of the Medicare and Medicaid Coverage Data Bank; effective 1/1/94.Section 13731 requires States to pay fees for Federal administration of their supplementary SSI payments effective for months after 9/94 (superseded by PL 105-33).Section 13732 permanently excludes State and local relocation assistance for SSI purposes; effective 8/10/93. Section 13733 continues deeming the I&R of a spouse/parent who is absent from the household because he/she is on active military duty, and excludes hostile pay for SSI purposes; effective 10/1/93.Section 13734 expands the provision for paying benefits to children of military personnel who accompany parents overseas to include children whose parents are stationed in Puerto Rico and the US territories and possessions excluding the Northern Mariana Islands; effective 11/1/93.Section 13735 contains revisions to retrospective monthly accounting for the first two months an SSI COLA is effective in determining the amount of the one-third reduction; effective for benefits paid after CY 1994.Section 13736 excludes from countable income up to $2,000 annually of income that Native Americans receive from individually owned trusts or restricted lands beginning 1/1/94.

Section 2 delays from 9/30/93 to 10/31/93 the termination of the performance management and recognition system. Sections 3-5 contains numerous technical and conforming amendments that provide for affected employees as of 11/1/93.

Section 2 makes permanent the Federal Employees Leave Sharing Act of 1988.Section 3 requires that advanced leave is not to be considered in determining whether any paid leave is available; effective 120th day after date of enactment.Section 4 amends the definition of accrual of leave; effective 120th day after date of enactment.Section 5 provides authority to participate in both the Leave Bank and Leave Transfer Programs in connection with the same medical emergency; effective 120th day after date of enactment.

Title II makes SSA appropriations for FY 1994, including payments for the Trust Funds, special benefits for disabled coal miners, SSI (including SSI outreach demonstration projects), automation-related investments, work related to the Coal Industry Retiree Health Benefits Act of 1992 from the LAE account and expenses for the Commission on Social Security "Notch Issue".

Section 2 amends federal civil service law by requiring agencies to relate the need for training to the agency's mission and performance goals, eliminates some restrictions on employee training, and permits training in the government's interest.Section 3 authorizes agency heads to offer temporary buy-out programs for encouraging selected groups of employees to separate from service, generally by 4/1/95, by offering lump-sum payments in order to avoid RIFs; if employee has received a payment under this section and accepts employment with the US government within 5 years after date of separation, employee is required to repay unless a waiver is granted.Section 4 requires additional agency contributions to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund for employees who exercise "early out".Section 5 establishes the total number of FTE positions in all government agencies for FYs 1994 - 1999.Section 9 standardizes the withdrawal options for TSP participants.

PL 103-286 An Act to Require Certain Payments Made to Victims of Nazi Persecution be Disregarded in Determining Eligibility for and the Amount of Benefits or Services Based on Need (enacted 8/1/94)

Section 1 provides that payments made to individuals because of their status as victims of Nazi persecution are disregarded in determining eligibility under any Federal or Federally-assisted program; prohibits recovery of excessive benefits due to failure to take account of certain payments made to victims of Nazi persecution; requires agencies to make a good faith effort to notify any individual who may have been wrongfully denied eligibility for benefits based on having received Nazi persecution payments.

PL 103-296 Social Security Independence and Program Improvements Act of 1994 (enacted 8/15/94)

Section 101 amends the Social Security Act and establishes SSA as an independent agency; effective 3/31/95.Section 102 enumerates duties of the COSS, DCOSS, CFO and IG; effective 3/31/95.Section 103 establishes SSAB structure, membership and terms of appointment; effective 3/31/95. Section 104 provides the administrative duties of the COSS including personnel, budgetary matters and data exchanges; effective 3/31/95.Section 105(a) transfers to SSA all HHS functions related to programs and activities vested in SSA; effective 8/15/94.Section 105(b) transfers from HHS to SSA all personnel, assets, liabilities, property, records, contracts, etc.; effective 8/15/94.Section 105(c) requires SSA and HHS to submit an interagency transfer agreement to Congress by 1/1/95 and to be effective 3/31/95.Section 106 provides the rules relating to transition of functions of officers of SSA including the assumption of the office of COSS, compensation for officers, etc.; effective 8/15/94.Section 107 amends Title II and Title XVI of the Act by changing references of HHS Sec. to the COSS and HHS to SSA; effective 3/31/95.Section 109 provides for all references in any provision of law to HHS and HHS Sec. with respect to functions under Title II and Title XVI of the Act to be considered a reference to SSA and COSS; effective 3/31/95. Sections 201(a)(1) and 201(b)(1) extend the RP requirement to DI and SSI beneficiaries whose DA&A is a contributing factor material to finding of disability; effective for new claims as of 3/1/95.Sections 201(a)(2) and 201(b)(2) require SSA to give preference to appointment of community-based, nonprofit social service agencies or to Federal, State, or local government agencies as RPs for DI and SSI substance abusers unless SSA determines a family member to be more appropriate; effective 12/1/94. Section 201(a)(2)(B) links organizational payee fees to the CPI, and limits initial maximum fees to $25 or to $50 if drug addiction/alcoholism is involved; effective for months beginning 90 days after enactment. Sections 201(a)(3)(A)(iii) and 201(b)(3)(A) require gradual payment of retroactive DI and SSI benefits to substance abusers with limited exception allowing increases in payment limits for beneficiaries with outstanding housing-related debts resulting in a high risk of homelessness; effective 3/1/95.Sections 201(a)(3)(A)(iii) and 201(b)(3)(A) also limit payments of DI and SSI to 36 months for individuals whose substance abuse is material to their disability, beginning the first month treatment is available; effective 3/1/95.Sections 201(a)(3)(A)(iii) and 201(b)(3)(A) also provide for suspending benefits for noncompliance with treatment for DI and SSI substance abusers, beginning the month after notification of noncompliance; effective 3/1/95.Sections 201(a)(3)(A)(iii) and 201(b)(3)(B) require substance abuse treatment for DI and SSI beneficiaries whose substance abuse is a contributing factor to disability determination; effective 3/1/95.Sections 201(a)(3)(A)(iii) and 201(b)(3)(B) also require establishment of referral and monitoring agency (RMA) contracts in each State and issuance of regulations defining appropriate treatment for substance abusers; effective 2/11/95. Section 201(a)(1)(E) requires a study of feasibility, cost and equity of requiring representative payment for DI and SSI beneficiaries who suffer from DA&A whether or not material to disability and of providing benefits through non-cash means; extent to which children are afflicted by DA&A and ways of addressing affliction; and extent to which children's RPs are afflicted by DA&A; and to ensure benefits continue to be provided to beneficiaries appropriately and a report to Congress by 12/31/95.Sections 201(a)(3)(B) and 201(b)(3)(B)(ii) require a report on the Sec.'s activities relating to the monitoring and testing of DI and SSI DA&A beneficiaries due to Congress by 12/31/96.Section 201(c) requires demonstration projects designed to explore innovative referral, monitoring and treatment approaches with respect to DI and SSI DA&A beneficiaries who are subject to treatment requirement and a report to Congress by 12/31/97. Section 201(a)(4) and (b)(4) make clear that the HHS Sec. and SSA must consider all services performed by an individual without regard to legality of such services when rendering SGA determination in claim for disability benefits; effective 8/15/94.Section 202 requires the HHS Sec. to appoint, by 1/1/95, a Commission on the Evaluation of Disability in Children to conduct a study on effect of current SSI definition of disability as it applies to children under age 18 and their receipt of services, including appropriateness of an alternative definition; Commission also will examine providing non-cash benefits to children and desirability and methods of increasing extent to which benefits are used to help child achieve independence and engage in SGA and report results and recommendations to Congress by 11/30/95. Section 203 requires SSA to revise regulations to establish criteria for time limits and other criteria relating to individual's PASS that accounts for length of time that individual will need to achieve employment goals and other appropriate factors; effective 1/1/95.Section 204 allows individuals who leave US temporarily as part of an educational program not available in US, designed for gainful employment, and sponsored by a US school to continue receiving SSI benefits up to one year if eligible in month they left US; effective 1/1/95.Section 205 continues Medicaid under section 1619(b) for individual whose Social Security COLA otherwise would cause ineligibility because of excess unearned income; effective 1/1/95.Section 206(a) requires third-party translators to certify under oath accuracy of their translations, whether acting as applicant's legal representative, and relationship to applicant; effective 10/1/94. Section 206(b) provided for civil monetary penalties and assessments for making a false or misleading statement or representation, or omitting a material fact from a statement or representation regarding the right to benefits under Title II or XVI effective 10/1/94.Section 206(c) treats SSI fraud as a felony; effective 10/1/94.Section 206(d) clarifies SSA's authority to reopen OASDI and SSI cases where there is reason to believe application or supporting documents are fraudulent, and to terminate benefits or disregard evidence in cases where SSA determines insufficient reliable evidence of disability; effective 10/1/94. Section 206(e) requires the IG to notify SSA about Title II and Title XVI cases under fraud investigation; and to reopen cases where there is reason to believe the application or supporting documents are fraudulent unless US Attorney or equivalent state prosecutor determines doing so would jeopardize criminal prosecution of involved parties; effective 10/1/94.Section 206(f) requires SSA to obtain and utilize preadmission immigrant and refugee medical information, identification information and employment history compiled by INS or CDC when developing SSI claims for aliens; effective 10/1/94.Section 206(g) requires SSA to submit annual report to Congress on extent to which it has reviewed OASDI and SSI cases, including extent to which cases reviewed involved a high probability of fraud; effective 10/1/94. Section 207 requires SSA, in FYs 1996, 1997 and 1998, to redetermine eligibility for a minimum of 1/3 of childhood SSI recipients between ages 18 and 19 using adult disability criteria; requires SSA to report findings to Congress no later than 10/1/98. Section 208 requires SSA, in FYs 1996, 1997 and 1998, to perform CDRs for at least 100,000 SSI recipients and report findings to Congress no later than 10/1/98.Section 209 allows States the option of exempting Zebley-related retroactive State supplementary payments from annual supplementary payments expenditure amount a State must maintain in following year in order to meet pass-along requirement; effective 8/15/94.Section 301 requires each obligation issued by Treasury for purchase by Social Security Trust Funds (including those already issued) to be evidenced by physical document in form of bond, note or certificate of indebtedness, rather than accounting entry; requires interest payments and proceeds from sale or redemption of Trust Fund holdings to be paid by checks drawn on general fund of Treasury; effective 10/15/94.Section 303 increases from $100 to $1,000 a year the amount an election worker must be paid for earnings to be covered under Social Security or Medicare with threshold increasing annually beginning in 2000; effective 1/1/95; effective 1/1/00, the $1,000 threshold will be indexed each year for inflation.Section 304 allows State and local governments and Federal district courts to use SSN to eliminate duplicate names and convicted felons from jury selection lists; effective 8/15/94. Section 305 gives all States the option to extend Social Security coverage to State and local police officers and firefighters who are under a retirement system; effective 8/15/94.Section 307 disregards windfall elimination provision (WEP) in computing: (1) regular US benefit of a person who receives a foreign benefit based on a totalization agreement with US, provided person receives no other pension based on non-covered employment; and (2) any US totalization benefit; effective 1/1/95.Section 308 excludes from application of both government pension offset (GPO) and WEP military pensions that are based, at least in part, on non-covered military reserve duty after 1956 and before 1988; effective 1/1/95. Section 309 repeals facility-of-payment provision, under which deductions are not now imposed against benefits of auxiliary beneficiary to whom they otherwise would apply, if family maximum (FMAX) benefit would continue to be payable to other auxiliaries living in same household; effective 1/1/96.Section 310 uses FMAX benefit in effect in last month of worker's prior entitlement to disability benefits in determining FMAX benefit under subsequent period of entitlement; effective 1/1/96.Section 311 requires SSA to disclose information showing whether an individual is alive or deceased if it is needed for epidemiological or similar research that the HHS Sec. determines has reasonable promise of contributing to national health interests; effective 8/15/94.Section 312 broadens present-law deterrents against misleading mailings about Social Security and Medicare, prohibits private use of SSA forms for a fee without prior agency approval and provides for CMP for symbol/word misuse and unauthorized use of agency
forms; effective 4/1/95. Section 313 makes unauthorized disclosure of information and fraudulent attempts to obtain personal information under Social Security Act a felony; effective 8/15/94.Section 314 extends to 4 months and 15 days instead of 3 months and 15 days after close of a taxable year the additional time that individual may be granted to file annual earnings report; effective on or after 12/31/94.Section 315 extends for 3 years (through 6/9/96) authority to initiate experiments and demonstration projects that involve waivers of Social Security or Medicare benefit requirements and that are designed to promote objectives or facilitate administration of Social Security DI program and encourage disabled beneficiaries to return to work; effective 8/15/94. Section 316 permits USDA to disclose retail operators' names, SSN and EIN to other Federal agencies for purpose of investigating food stamp fraud and violations of other Federal laws.Section 318 permits DOL to use SSNs as claim identification numbers for workers compensation claims.Section 319 continues Social Security coverage of Federal civilian employees temporarily assigned to an international organization, regardless of whether organization is within or outside US; effective for services performed after December 1994.Section 320 excludes from Social Security coverage aliens who enter US via cultural exchange program; effective October 1994.Section 321(g) designates 1994 as base year in calculating increases in OASDI contribution and benefit base, and earnings test exempt amounts for years after 1994.

Title II makes SSA appropriations for FY 1995, including payments for the Trust Funds, special benefits for disabled coal miners, SSI (including SSI outreach demonstration projects) and automation-related investments; effective 10/1/94. Title V, Section 512 provides that benefit rates for the BL program in 9/94 will remain in effect.

Subchapter I provides that the purpose of the bill is to encourage non-career service in the uniformed services by eliminating or minimizing the disadvantages that result from such service.Subchapter II prohibits discrimination and acts of reprisal against persons who serve in the uniformed services and guarantees reemployment rights.
This Act contains numerous personnel related provisions related to both civilian and Federal employees; effective 10/13/94 unless otherwise specified in this Act.

Title II amends Federal civil service law to eliminate unlimited accumulation of annual leave by SES; sets a limit of 90 days per year; effective the first pay period after 10/22/94.Title IV requires direct deposit of Federal wage, salary and retirement payments be paid by electronic fund transfer on or after 1/1/95.Section 403 authorizes the OMB Director to designate 6 agencies to participate in a franchise fund pilot program to determine if the operation of administrative support services can be operated more advantageously on a centralized basis; effective 10/22/94 to 10/1/99.Section 404 authorizes the OMB Director to consolidate/adjust the due dates of statutorily required reports of agencies; effective from 1/1/95 to 9/30/97.Section 405 requires that annual financial statements of agencies be audited prior to submission to OMB; effective not later than 3/1/97.

Section 2 increases the threshold for the coverage of wages paid to domestic employees from $50 a calendar quarter per employer to $ 1,000 a calendar year per employer effective in 1994. In calendar years after 1995, the amount will increase in $100 increments as average wages increase. Also excludes domestic employees under age 18 from such coverage if not their principal occupation.Section 3 revises allocations to the Federal DI Trust Fund with respect to wages and self-employment income reported to the Treasury Sec.; effective after 12/31/93 and directs the COSS not later than 10/1/95 to conduct a study of the reasons for rising costs payable from such Fund and to report the findings to Congress. Section 4 requires the nonpayment of Title II benefits to individuals confined in penal institutions pursuant to conviction of a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than 1 year and to individuals confined by court order in institutions at public expense based on findings of insanity in criminal cases involving such a crime; specifies circumstances in which benefit payments may be resumed; effective for benefits 90 days after enactment.Section 5 authorizes SSA to use certain debt collection procedures available to other Federal agencies, but not SSA, under the Debt Collection Act of 1982. These include reporting delinquent debtors to credit agencies contracting with private debt collection agencies, and recovering debts by administrative offset of other Federal payments to which the debtor may be entitled; effective to collection activities beginning on or after date of enactment and before 10/1/99. Section 6 requires nursing home and other long-term care administrators to report the admission of any SSI recipient to SSA within 2 weeks; effective for admission on or after 10/1/95.

PL 103-432 Social Security Act Amendments of 1994 (enacted 10/31/94)

Section 144 allows States to pay the Medicare Part B premium surcharge for late enrollment while the beneficiary continues to be responsible for the base premium amount; effective 6/95.Section 154 requires the HHS Sec. to implement a method for obtaining information from newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries to determine their eligibility for cost-sharing under Medicaid State plans and for transmitting such information to the States; effective 10/31/95.Section 221 provides that criteria used in determining disability of children under 18 apply to any individual under 18, including those not meeting the definition of a child for SSI purposes; effective for all determinations made on or after 10/31/94.Section 232 requires the HHS Sec. to prepare annual reports to Congress on the number of welfare and other means-tested programs recipients, including SSI, due 10/31/97 and annually thereafter.

PL 103-465 Uruguay Round Agreements Act (enacted 12/8/94)

Section 702 permits individuals to request voluntary withholding from certain Federal payments, including SSA benefits, for income tax purposes in accordance with specified percentages as permitted by the IRS; effective with payments made after 12/31/96 (note: this provision did not actually take effect until 12/1/98 after an amendment to section 207 of the Social Security Act was made in section 4005 of PL 105-277).Section 733 increases from 50 to 85 percent the amount of Social Security benefits that are subject to mandatory Federal income tax withholding because they are paid to nonresident aliens; effective for benefits paid in tax years ending after 12/31/94.Section 742 requires that a taxpayer include the TIN/SSN for all dependents on his/her return in order to claim a dependency exemption, regardless of age; effective for tax years beginning after 12/31/94, with the exception that it does not apply to returns for tax years beginning in 1995 with regard to individuals born after 10/31/95, or to returns for taxable years beginning in 1996 for individuals born after 11/30/96.Section 761 amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 by modifying the maximum guaranteed pension benefit payable in disability cases to participants in terminated employee benefit plans; the maximum guaranteed benefit will not be reduced
because of age if the participant demonstrates that SSA determined that he/she is disabled under the Social Security Act; effective after 12/31/94.

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